usb charging

Survive with Sony's hand-crank USB charger

One possible solution to resurrect a dead phone resides in Sony's latest portable CycleEnergy USB charger with a built-in hand crank, due in Japan on June 20 for 8,000 yen ($100).

The modular charger (CP-A2LAKS) features a dual port unit capable of charging two USB-equipped devices and a built-in 4,000mAh battery chargeable via AC power.

A Sony press release states the large battery capacity within can deliver enough power to charge a smartphone about two times, with an additional reference noting it would take about two hours to give the Xperia Acro HD smartphone a full charge. … Read more

Get a USB wall-plate charger for $14.99

Everything charges via USB nowadays: Kindles, iPods, Bluetooth headsets, smartphones...shall I go on?

In a perfect world, your home's AC outlets would have USB ports alongside their three-prong sockets. That way, you could dispense with all those bulky power plugs and just plug each device's USB cable right into the wall.

Until home builders get the memo, here's the next best thing: Lowe's has the RCA USB Wall Plate Charger for $14.99, plus sales tax where applicable. If you don't have a Lowe's store near you, you'll be on the hook … Read more

Charging and USB

The charger and USB cable of the Pre are pretty well designed, and make charging and connecting to your Pre pretty easy and pleasant.

The charger is essentially a USB cable that plugs into a neat Palm base, so you can use the cable either for plugging into your computer or into the charger. The one end is standard USB for plugging into the charger or computer, and the end that plugs into the computer is a micro-usb I believe. The same connector that is on newer blackberry's (I haven't tried interchanging the power cables, I'm sufficiently … Read more

Sony PS3 controller charger reminds us what we hate about the PS3

Engadget has noted the appearance of a new PlayStation 3 accessory in Japan: a USB charger that can juice up two PS3 controllers at once. While we wouldn't be surprised to see this thing appear Stateside as well, the problem is: there's really no reason it should need to exist. And if the PS3 were better designed, it wouldn't have to. In fact, the existence of this sort of accessory just serves as a reminder of some of the PS3's biggest annoyances--all the more evident because the superb gaming console/Blu-ray player/media hub is otherwise close to perfection. … Read more

Transform a USB hub into the ultimate DIY gadget charger

Recently, I highlighted the Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter as a great option for anyone with two USB-powered devices. But what if you have three, four, or more--say, an iPod, a Blackberry, and a Bluetooth headset? With its ability to charge six devices, the CallPod ChargePod caught my eye--but the need to buy a host of proprietary adapters turned me off. If all my devices already have charging cables with standard USB plugs, wouldn't it make a lot more sense for a charger to use corresponding standard USB ports instead? Of course it would. So, I was looking for a charger with as many standard USB ports on it as possible.

And then I realized it was already sitting on my desk. And it's probably sitting on yours, too. … Read more

Charge two devices at once with Belkin's Dual USB Power Adapter

Despite the dream of an "ultimate handheld," it's really hard to get down to fewer than two portable devices. A Treo may do it all, but you still want an iPod; an iPhone is great, but you still need a BlackBerry for work; you like to listen to your iPod while playing your PSP or DS; and so on. Even those who do manage to get down to one super smart phone often have a Bluetooth headset to go along with it. And traveling with two devices means taking two power adapters along. Or at least it did--until the Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter came along. … Read more

Charge any PSP via USB with a $20 accessory

One of the advertised improvements of the new PSP Slim was the fact that it could be recharged via its USB port. And while that may not sound like a major feature, for anyone who's ever traveled with a tangle of three, four, or even more AC adapters (laptop, phone, iPod, BlackBerry, ...), it was certainly an attractive idea. Unfortunately, it didn't quite deliver. Yes, the new PSP can be charged via its topside USB port, but the caveats involved make it more trouble than it's worth: the USB charging is almost twice as slow, only works when the PSP is powered on and in a dedicated USB charge mode, and it needs a PC as a source--it won't charge from a standalone AC-to-USB adapter. Thankfully, a handy accessory from Kensington provides a much better USB charging solution--and it works with both newer PSPs and the original models.… Read more